Electronic Billboards in London Deliver Special Messages to Mini Drivers

Over the summer, Mini bought some electronic billboards in London that projected specialized messages to its drivers. The ads, activated by human spotters with iPads, offered compliments to drivers ("You da man!") and took photos of them in their cars, which were displayed on billboards further down the road.

Some messages even directed drivers to pull over nearby for treats, car washes and flowers to bring home to their significant others (or, in one case, to a guy's mum.)

Mini's driving idea was to make its customers feel like part of an exclusive "not normal" clique, which the brand underscored with a #mininotnormal hashtag.

The BMW-owned auto brand has tried similar tactics before. In 2007, it used RFID chip technology to let drivers identify themselves to be called out in billboards in New York, Miami, Chicago and San Francisco. For instance, a lawyer named Mary would pass a sign that read, "Mary, moving at the speed of justice."

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